Coka Cola.

I have three nephews – Paul, Demy, and Lucas. We live in the same compound which gives them the time to visit and play with my boys every afternoon. They run around the place, raid the fridge, eat whatever is on the table, they barge into my room together with the boys to annoy me. They are so successful in doing that! Mess annoys me!

Yesterday, they were here! I surprised them with yellow cab pizza - half pepperoni and half cheese. What’s pizza without a Coke? I took a break from studying and ate with them. I gave the little ones, Demy who is two and Lucas who is one, their own glass of coke! My sister looked at me horrified! I made a face and reasoned, “While we were growing up COKE was scarce! I don’t want them growing up feeling the scarcity of coke!”

We weren’t allowed to drink coke. I joked about it with mom, but she never gave me her reasons for implementing that rule. Maybe she forgets but I remembered. Having a coke was like given a price for a job well done like good grades, finishing household chores or doing assignments. I had tonsillitis one time because I stole the coke from the fridge and drank it when everyone was sleeping. My punishment was not to have a coke when my brother and sister had theirs. That was torture!

I wasn’t spoiled growing up. In fact, I did not have a pencil box full of Sanrio and Hello Kitty pencils. I hand Mongol number two. My Lolo bought me a pencil box that was not pretty if you compare it to what my classmates had. But it was for me the most beautiful plain pencil box there was because it came from him. I remember cleaning it every day to get rid of the pencil marks.

Lola’s spaghetti was the best! She can’t cook! But growing up her spaghetti was heaven to me. When she was still alive, I joke about her spaghetti. She would laugh and tell me that I ate a lot back then. Her spaghetti sauce was catsup, her ground beef was corn beef, and the cheese was present, lots of cheese. In those days, kitchen cabinets were made of glass (to-ka-dor). I would know if it was spaghetti time. I would see the ingredients inside the cabinet! Then I try to be good to have a taste of her spaghetti and a coke!

Lola will hate me for blogging about her. In heaven, do you think they are so high tech? When we got sick she lets us drink royal true orange with egg yolk in it. This is the reason why the smell of royal true orange can sometimes make me puke! Why Royal, why not a coke?

I think about my abuelos a lot. I wonder if they will be proud of me! Or will they tell m e that I should have done it differently? But knowing them, they will let me learn from my mistakes and let me glorify my success.

Memories can be comforting like the ones I have.